Do you mean Neverland?
by KipperMay
Summary: A somewhat one-sided Michael/Ryan drabble collection. Mostly G- or PG-rated. Ch 7 and future chapters Beta'd by the wonderful BasementoftheMansion. Thanks for your help! EDIT: *complete, I think.*
1. Chapter 1

He holds his Dundie a little warily ("Hottest in the Office!" the plaque proclaims. In capital letters.), as if it might come alive. Or hide some kind of recording device. He honestly wouldn't be able to say that something like that would surprise him. He has only been here for two and a half months, but something like that would not surprise him. He carefully wraps the Dundie in toilet paper and puts it in his desk drawer. When he is sure Michael is gone for lunch, he calls the temp agency. Again.


	2. Chapter 2

He tries not to use the copier anymore. Which, admittedly, can make his work day more difficult than usual, but, he tells the cameras, it's worth it. "See," he says, "Michael has a direct view of the copy machine from his office." He glances over his shoulder, and when he turns back, he is smiling a little. To the camera, it looks a little panicky. "I--he made some comment about my butt yesterday--" He shrugs, glances around again. "I just don't like having my back turned to him if I don't have to. You know?"


	3. Chapter 3

Michael's smile is flustered, but underneath it is genuine. His eyes shine. "Ryan?" He laughs. "What can I say about Ryan...?" He wipes his hand across his lips. He pauses. "Ryan...Ryan is a special kid. He is _smart _--so, so smart-- He is..._kind_, he is--his eyes alone...piercing, you know what I mean? Just--amazing." He emphasizes each of these points by counting them out on his fingers. "And he is...my best friend," he concludes. "We are like _this_." He crosses his fingers, holds them up for the camera. His grin is extremely satisfied.


	4. Chapter 4

"So I was like, '_Mom._ I don't even _like_ chicken. _Why_ would I like soup that is made of chickens?' You know? Ryan?"

He has not been listening. He taps her on the elbow. "Look, Kelly. No—don't turn your head."

Her eyes move slowly toward the window of the restaurant. "Oh—my—_God_," she says, her eyes widening. "Is that _Michael?_" It is. When he realizes they see him, he stares back for a moment before taking off into the darkness. But Ryan's triumph at somebody else noticing Michael's serious creepiness is cut short when Kelly plunges on: "Ew, I cannot believe he was spying on me! I mean, I always knew he was weird, but— "

Ryan tunes her out again, staring out after Michael. _Maybe I should just get the restraining order after all,_ he thinks, _and to hell with the temp agency._


	5. Chapter 5

Pam overhears the argument even though they are clearly trying to keep their voices down. "Michael this is…just…_unbelievable_!" Jan. "Though I shouldn't be surprised, I guess," she continues, snorting derisively. "I always--"

Michael interrupts her. "_What_? What was that supposed to mean? Come on, Jan, it was an honest mistake! I had work on my mind, and—"

More harsh laughter. "I _bet_ you did."

During Michael's following silence, Pam hurries to Jim's desk. He has been listening too, and motions for her to be quiet.

"It's not the end of the world," Michael says sullenly after awhile.

"You called me _Ryan_ last night!" Nobody in the office misses that, unfortunately.

"Wow," Jim says after a long moment. Across the office, Ryan grabs his coat, gets up, and leaves. Jim pats his shoulder solemnly as he goes.


	6. Chapter 6

Ryan laughs a little. "Horrified, relieved, and a little disappointed," he says, chuckling. "Horrified because Michael spent $400 on me for Secret Santa. Relieved because he didn't buy anything…_weirder_. And—" He smiles, a little sheepishly. "I'm disappointed because, of all people, _Dwight_ ended up with it. And _I_ ended up with…" He reaches down, sits back up with an extremely old, worn plaid shirt, held up for the camera. "This. I got Creed's old shirt." He presses his lips into a thin line that is almost, but not quite, a smile. "How's _that_ for irony?"


	7. Chapter 7

"Today? Well, Michael overheard me telling Oscar and Jim I was thinking  
about taking a couple weeks' vacation this month. Maybe drive to Montreal?  
And he…cried. For about an hour. He... shut himself in the bathroom,  
actually. That took another ten, fifteen minutes. Now I  
get to go to lunch." He holds up a paper bag. "Toby said he'd never  
seen Michael cry like that, which scares me a little. He, um, kept talking  
about how I'd miss his birthday. I—I don't know. Something." He purses  
his lips, considers, continues. "But either way it, uh, definitely convinced  
me to go."


	8. Chapter 8

"Toby?"

Toby turns in his chair. "Hey, Ryan," he says, his voice politely curious.

Ryan grabs an empty chair and sits down. "Toby…what can I do about…you know, Michael?"

Toby's smile is already apologetic. Ryan sighs. "Well since he hasn't actually _done_—"

"He—he slapped my ass at the Dundies last year," Ryan interjects. "And he _hugs_ me, all the time. He—"

Toby holds up his hand. "Still, Ryan…I don't think he would listen to me anyway."

Ryan frowns. "He hates you a lot, huh?" Toby shrugs. "You don't know how lucky you are," Ryan says, getting up and heading back to his desk.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: I was worried it might not be entirely clear what episode this is from. It's from Season 3's _Business School, _when Michael goes to speak to Ryan's business class.

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At first, Ryan can't place the sick feeling in his stomach. But it roils and churns nonetheless, forcing him to clamp his teeth against the rising nausea. He realizes suddenly that he is guilty; Michael is floundering in front of Ryan's business class. His expression is hurt and betrayed.

When he flees the classroom, Ryan wants to cover his face, disappear, go back in time. _I can't believe I put him through this,_ he thinks miserably. _As…horrible as Michael can be, he didn't deserve that. God help him, he loves Dunder-Mifflin._

He goes after him, finds him by the car. "I'm sorry, Michael, I—"

"Can we go?" Michael asks quietly. He won't meet Ryan's eyes.

Ryan hates himself a little as they drive back to work.


	10. Chapter 10

"You're my friend, Michael, okay?"He closes his eyes again, wearily. His head is buzzing angrily, and his stomach is still churning weakly from when he got sick in the cab earlier. Dwight and Michael--_of all people,_ he thinks; the irony is definitely not lost on him--sit patiently on either side of him. He realizes drearily that he cannot think of anyone else in his life that would have taken him home--_did they pay for the cab?--_cleaned him up, stayed with him. _Thank you_, he tries to say. His mouth will not cooperate, so he just thinks it, fiercely as he can. _Thank you, Michael. I'm sorry._ Tears burn suddenly behind his eyes, and, frustrated, he squeezes them back. A deep sense of injustice washes over him, followed closely by a deeper (and more honest) last thought he has before drifting into uneasy sleep is that he kind of hopes Michael will still be there in the wouldn't mind if Dwight left, though.

end


End file.
